Over 150,000 lost Chinese cultural relics return to homeland

China's relentless quest to retrieve lost cultural relics from overseas has received a significant boost, as 38 artifacts were returned by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office at a ceremony in New York on Wednesday.

The prized haul primarily comprises Tibetan Buddhist objects spanning from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) to the Qing Dynasty (1644 -1911).

According to the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics, over 10 million Chinese artifacts have been displaced overseas since the Opium War in 1840, a consequence of warfare and illicit trade.

The tragic loss of this hallowed cultural legacy has scarred the psyche of the ancient civilization. Yet China remains steadfast in its pursuit of restitution.

Over recent decades, China has employed a multi-pronged approach - law enforcement cooperation, diplomacy, lawsuits and negotiations - to reclaim its lost artifacts.

These unwavering efforts, coupled with intensified global cooperation, have yielded major gains, with over 150,000 artifacts retrieved through more than 300 repatriation missions since 1949.

According to experts, the 1970 UNESCO Convention and the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention cannot be applied retroactively, limiting their scope to artifacts stolen or illegally traded after their implementation.

Further complicating matters are legal obstacles in certain importing nations and the formidable challenge of gathering evidence, with major museums also often reluctant to repatriate the artifacts they possess.

"Cultural relics are the historical witnesses of a civilization," said Liu Weijun, a scholar in the field of cultural relic protection and professor at the People's Public Security University of China. "The historical, scientific and artistic value attached to cultural relics can only achieve its fullest significance and exert its greatest influence when the relics remain in their place of origin."

Urging greater international support for nations seeking restitution of their displaced cultural property, Liu expressed his belief that with China's persistent efforts, more artifacts will return to their rightful homeland.

(With input from Xinhua)